Caribe Hilton

We stayed in the Presidential Suite at El Caribe Hilton from March 28–April 1, spending over $16,000 on what was supposed to be a luxury family vacation. Unfortunately, an incident on March 31 at the beach cove completely overshadowed our stay. Earlier that day, I found a beautiful, EMPTY queen conch shell while swimming. My children (ages 6 and 7) were thrilled—one of those special vacation moments. Around 4:30 PM, after we settled at the pool, a man approached us without introducing himself and abruptly said he needed the shell because it was “illegal to keep.” We complied, but later found this was not entirely accurate. He claimed it was for hermit crabs that live miles offshore, yet I watched him place it almost exactly where I found it. This raised immediate concerns. When we followed up at Aqua Adventure, we saw multiple large conch shells displayed at their office (gone the next morning). Staff gave inconsistent explanations, even saying they personally collected shells from various places—contradicting their “environmental” reasoning. The situation escalated when a scuba instructor, Jose Morera, aggressively inserted himself, accused us of wanting the shell for its value, and began loudly yelling in Spanish about us in front of other guests. His coworkers tried to stop him, but he continued ranting in front of Hilton security (Luis) and staff. My children and mother-in-law witnessed this. He refused to give his name, scoffed at me, and continued making derogatory remarks. As an Asian family, the tone felt racially charged and deeply disrespectful. Adding to this, Aqua Adventure’s own public social media shows large conch shells—similar to ours—being used as props for tourist photos. If this is truly environmental, why are identical shells used commercially? This raises serious concerns that the shell taken from my children was not about conservation, but for their own use or profit. Although Luis arranged for the shell to be retrieved, my husband was then pressured by staff and security to throw it back into the ocean from a pier—despite the fact that these scuba professionals could easily retrieve it again. We left feeling mocked, humiliated, and upset. My children were in tears after having something meaningful taken from their hands. There are no signs anywhere stating empty shells cannot be collected, despite swimming/snorkeling being encouraged. We had no malicious intent, yet were treated like we did something wrong. Despite speaking with multiple Hilton managers, we received only generic responses. Manny Melendez acknowledged signage should exist—but that is not the guest’s responsibility and not an acceptable resolution. We plan to escalate this to Mike Garcia, regional leadership, and the PRHTA. The lack of accountability—especially regarding Aqua Adventure staff—is unacceptable. If you’re considering a luxury vacation, I strongly recommend choosing another property. We regret not going with the Ritz-Carlton and would advise avoiding both El Caribe Hilton and Aqua Adventure. The scuba diver in the white rash guard was one of the individuals involved. All referenced posts are from El Caribe Hilton. The shell circled in red is the one I found and cleaned.

What should have been a beautiful family moment turned into one of the most disappointing hospitality experiences I’ve ever had. While enjoying a simple chess game outdoors with my family, we were abruptly rushed by staff and told we had “11 minutes” to finish. Shortly after, Henry approached us at 9:57 PM—acknowledging the time himself—and still instructed us to “clear up and abandon the area.” When I pointed out we were within the stated time, his response was: “I’ll wait the 3 minutes you have to make sure you leave.” The tone was cold, unnecessary, and frankly unacceptable for a property of this caliber. I expressed how this made us feel, yet the interaction remained dismissive and rude throughout. It was so uncomfortable that my 9-year-old niece—who has special needs—felt compelled to hug him and ask him to “be nice.” That moment alone speaks volumes. Hospitality is about people, not just policies. What we experienced was the opposite. This was, without question, the worst moment of our vacation. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend Caribe Hilton.

I expected more as we paid U$600 per night for a twin. That did not even include breakfast. The hotel itself is tired and dated. The room had a small, gritty balcony with a shoddy table and peeling paint. The bathroom was also tired and dated with rotten wood at the bottom of the door frame. I have stayed in far better hotels for a quarter of the cost. I booked in to the spa and that was a mistake. Some parts were out of action. The outside pool was filthy. The towel I was given was frayed. All round it was terrible. Breakfast was an additional U$35. Far better to go elsewhere.

This would have been a five star review if we had been given the room that we booked initially. This trip was gifted to me by my son and he had booked a room for my friend and me to have a garden view. The room that we were first assigned had a view of the rooftop of a lower level of the hotel with a discarded bathing suit and trash on the roof and a sliding glass door to the balcony that would not open - I am assuming so customers did not go out on the rooftop. We could only see a sliver of the ocean on the far right of the window. Since my son had paid for this trip and our documentation from the travel agency literally stated we were to have a room in the Garden Wing with a view of the garden, I was insistent on his getting what he had purchased for me. When we went downstairs to point out to the front desk staff that we weren’t given the room my son had reserved, we were told there was nothing that could be done about it because the hotel was sold out. At that point, I got my son’s travel agent involved, and we got a phone call from hotel staff that we would be moved, but not until the next day because the garden wing was filled with basketball players. This meant repacking the following morning and having to change rooms, which caused us to leave the pool area and interrupted our day. This was especially disconcerting because both my son and I are Hilton Honors members. If you had basketball teams in the Garden Wing, my room still should have been held for me. However, once we got moved to our room in the Garden Wing the next day, everything was literally perfect. I especially want to mention HIRAM AVILA as being an especially warm and helpful employee. He felt like family by the end of our trip. His customer service was gold standard. If I am ever fortunate enough to stay at the Caribe Hilton again, the first thing I will do is find HIRAM AVILA and give him a big hug. If all your employees treated your guests as HIRAM AVILA treated us, you would have a truly exceptional staff.

This is a beautiful hotel! I'm giving it 4 stars because the first night we ended up in a room that was not our original planned room overlooking the garden. We ended up in what was called an ocean view room, but we could not see the ocean much because the room was basically just a rooftop view, and a small but of the ocean showing in the distance. We were supposed to be in a garden view room. We finally got our room changed and that changed everything. The garden view room was gorgeous! We also had such an awesome experience with good food and great service by the pool. Hiram Avila was such an incredible server! We felt so well taken care of. He brought us so much joy! He was so attentive and helpful! After not feeling well taken care of at the Caribar restaurant inside because it seemed our waiter forgot us, he was a welcome breath of fresh air! The caribe has lots to offer and it was extra special because of Hiram and the pool staff.